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I Finally Get to See the Silverhawks Get a Win…

The young fans ready to attack the eggs on the field prior to the game

This was my fourth Silverhawks game of the year, and the first time that I saw them win. I really wanted to go because it was a beautiful day, and besides that it was another doubleheader. When I walked into the stadium I realized that I may have made a mistake. On the way in I saw a young kid crying, and his mother up in arms over how they were charging to get into the game. Because of the charge her daughter would not be able to attend the Easter Egg hunt. Of course we all know that you have to pay to get into games, or at least I thought everyone did. The field was full of kids when I sat down, and then I realized that I was about to be surrounded by them. I moved as far towards the left field wall as I could, and had a peaceful Saturday.

Before I get too far I just wanted to say how good the new patio area is starting to look. Every time I come back to the stadium this year it looks different. The patio area now has the railings up, and the tables are stationed at the top ready to make their way down. I can’t wait to explore the new areas of the park.

Yazy Arbelo with a big swing

After a quick 1,2,3 inning for the Tincaps the Silverhawks came out firing in the 1st. Zach Walters and Yazy Arbelo hit back to back homers. Part of that may have been to the strong wind blowing out to right, but they both crushed the ball. Arbelo actually hit the new scoreboard with his jack. I have not been to all of the games at the Cove this year, but that is the first time I saw a ball hit the scoreboard. Yazy is one of the leaders in RBI’s so far in the Midwest League, and he added to that total early. They jumped to a quick 2-0 lead, and for once I had a good feeling about the game.

Matt Branham throws before the game

Before the game I watched Padres prospect Matt Branham right in front of me on the bullpen mound. It was great watching him throw, and hear pitching coach Willie Blair try and dial him in before the game. It is amazing how many things they were working on just before the game. After the first inning I thought I understood why, but he did settle down after that.

Jake Blackwood's home run swing

Jake Blackwood answered right off the bat in the second with a homer of his own. Off the bat you could tell that it was way gone. Jake had a great game to start the day off. He started with a homer, then added a double and a triple in his next two at bats. If this had been a nine inning game it would have been interesting to see if he could have gone for the cycle.

Zach Walters at the plate

The big player of the game though was Walters who drove in two runs for South Bend. His home run in the first was a good way to start, but he also drove in Mike Freeman with a triple in the fifth. Early in the year it is hard to tell who is going to be the producers on the team. Early on it looks like Walters may be one of them.

Silverhawk pitcher Bradin Hagens pitching early in the game

Bradin Hagens pitched six strong innings to get the win. He only allowed two runs, and they were directly attributed to Jake Blackwood. Hagens only gave up four hits on the day, and three of them were to Blackwood. It was the first win of the season to Hagens on the season. Blake Cooper pitched a perfect ninth for his first save of the season.

It was nice to see the Silverhawks get a win. The offense seemed to be alright, and more importantly the pitching was strong. You can’t sweep the doubleheader unless you win the first game, and the Hawks did the job in the first game.

Here are some pictures that did not make the cut:

Some of the Silverhawks players stand amidst the eggs prior to the game

Zach Walters proves that you can always fit a workout into your schedule

Blake Cooper getting his first save of the season

Backup catcher Emmanuel Quiles in the bullpen in the ninth inning

As usual here are my scorecards from the game as well. The Silverhawks have inserted rosters into their programs this year. This helps out a lot when the team is virtually new every year. I hope that this is a trend that continues. The insert has small ads so keep the ads coming if that keeps the inserts coming.